drink problem?????

[spuddleduck]

since being sober ive noticed more about AL and its effects on people. drinking stories from friends. one got locked in a pub after falling asleep on the loo, now this person always controls her drinking very well (it was her birthday). another missed work due to a hangover. another went to the cinema with a bottle of wine in her bag. another mortified after phoning her ex when drunk. now these people are not big drinkers, i would always consider them controlled social drinkers. these are things that i used to do..... and then it got worse for me. am i just being sensitve to peoples drinking habits... i dont know, but its certainly opening my eyes to what AL does to people. i do wonder how and when AL actually takes over peoples lives. as most of us know its a slippery slope and we tend not to notice till its too late.

[mama bear]

drink problem?????

Spuds...good question. I don't know when I went from weekend social drinker to every night have to have it to sleep drinker.....but i do know it correlates to the huge amount of stress and financial pressure Papa Bear and i were under.....
PLus I think it's a bit genetic .....my birth father (i am adopted) was rumored to be a raging alkie, and my natural sister was a heroin addict...

[Panno]

drink problem?????

Very good observation Spuds, done them all apart from being in the locked in the pub. I realised some time back when 1 bottle came 2 bottles and I'd rather be at home drinking than going out socialising :l

[spuddleduck]

drink problem?????

yeah, sadly ive done them myself, not the locked in pub one but i sure would have helped myself before leaving, security alarms or not. i actually used to run a pub with my ex. now that was a disaster waiting to happen... and it did

[KatieB]

drink problem?????

I guess when you are drinking yourself, you would not notice these things as much.. but when AF, you are alot more clear-headed... AL addiction can happen to anyone, most the time it does creep up on you.. like me; I used to think I was just a party-girl.. but its when you start using AL at inappropriate times and for the wrong reasons that it becomes a problem..

[hillsidetime]

drink problem?????

Hi Spuds, interesting post, and ture for sure. Katie makes some great points above. Now that I am sober, I too have noticed guys coming to work hungover (smelling like booze), people meddling with their relationships, drinking like fish during hockey tourneys, drinking and driving etc - all things I used to do. In addition, I never realised how strong the smell of alcohol is on someone who drinks. Now when I talk to people at functions etc, it almost knocks me over.

I hope you are having a nice weekend,
Hill

[tylyr]

drink problem?????

Lots of good points here. I'm not sure when I went from a frinday night couple of glasses of wine person to someone who fancies a glass of wine, and more, nearly every night of the week. I could drink every day. It's not social any more unfortuately. When this boundary is crossed, i don't know. I'm not drinking vast amounts, but I know that I need to be aware that this is progressive.

[momof3]

drink problem?????

I think a big misconception about alcoholism is that you are one or you're not and it happens over night. So untrue, it is a very slow and progressive disease that takes a while to take hold and take over your life. We literally drink ourselves into being alcoholics.

[wannachange]

drink problem?????

Its a question a lot of people asked this week, me included, I guess if AL made you miss work, meddle with relationships (as hills politely put it), regret the next day, flip through your phone, fb, mwo etc ctc to see what you wrote, must have that pint, buy a 6 pack but buy the bottle as well "just in case" then yes there is a problem.

[mollyka]

drink problem?????

Yes Momof3 I can track my downward spiral a really long way. I was in Disneyworld in Florida 20 yrs ago (eldest was 8) and I had a little 'flask' thing with me - looked like for iced tea or something, with wine in it cos obviously no alcohol at the park. I had no 'apparent' problem with alcohol then, but it progressed every year up to madness in the last two (since my Mum died was the trigger, not an excuse), however even at 17 -18 I could drink more than almost anyone I knew and boasted about it. How sad.
Molly

[tiptronic_ct]

drink problem?????

Spuds,

It's weird: even Mrs. T can now spot problem drinkers more easily, now that I've told her exactly what to be on the lookout for. It is more widespread than most people realise.

In a funny (but positive) twist, two of my best friends, who know why I'm now AF, have started asking me tentative questions about their own drinking habits. They are both daily drinkers, one of whom consumes a bottle of wine a night, and never thought that it was excessive in any way. She's 1.80m tall and weighs only 65kg. You do the math on units! :H :H :H

[momof3]

drink problem?????

Yes Mollyka, I too used to take great pride in myself because I could drink any guy under the table. In later years when I went to a recovery program, I learned that this, i.e., a high tolerance to alcohol is a sign of problems to come if you continue to drink.

[not tonight]

drink problem?????

Spuddleduck - For me it was/is a combination of being able to camouflage my growing habit, as alcohol permeates so many facets of our society, and various 'tipping points' which accelerated my consumption to newer and higher levels. Change in financial situation, periods of extreme stress etc. I always hope that the amount I drink at these points is unusual and once the stress/problem has passed I will return to a reduced consumption. But that is never the case, the higher level of drinking becomes my new norm.

[Frangipani]

drink problem?????

I always just thought I was a "party-girl" too. It was cute...back then. This little girl could outdrink everyone. I too used to boast about it. I was proud when I acquired the taste for beer and no longer had to drink weak and "embarrassing" Bartles and James wine coolers. Then I boasted that "I'm a Beer-Girl!" And that was cute too...or was it really? That was all in my twenties.
When my thirties arrived and I was still bingeing to the point of barfing in a really nice lounge, getting in yelling matches with people, being that drunk who was trying to rationalize with some other drunk that they shouldn't drive or they shouldn't get in a fight that night...Well, I'm realizing it's just really not that cute. Feeling like a complete asshole for berating my husband for not being "fun" anymore and making him feel like such a shit for changing so much. Playing the morning game with hubby about how I wasn't that drunk and what I had said the night before had merit and that I just should've worded it a different way. He was always right but was always willing to take so much of the blame for our problems. I needed him to take some of the blame so I could not hate myself so much for being a drunk disorderly the night before. It's another game I played with myself...and him. I never want to do these things again! I never want to drink again. I never want to WANT to drink again...could I get that lucky? I'm ready to consistently do the work though. It's so great getting on this site and having so many people to identify with. Thank you all!

[techie]

drink problem?????

I wish you the best in your effort to stay AF. I can relate to everything you have said. It's amazing how much all AL abusers have in common! Stay strong, and stay connected to MWO!!